


Prosperity & Partiality

by Compulsory



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Oblivious Kara Danvers, Pansexual Kara Danvers, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Useless Lesbian Lena Luthor, its like a gay jane austen novel, men ruin everything tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28617204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Compulsory/pseuds/Compulsory
Summary: After Lionel and Lex steal from the powerful House of El, Lena believes marriage is the only way to repair the damage her family has done. She plans to marry one El but falls in love with another one.orAfter Lena takes hold of the Luthor Manor, Kara's power is threatened. In an attempt to fix her image Kara falls in love with the one person she's supposed to despise.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 15
Kudos: 83





	1. The Cousins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> City Map: 
> 
> Norwich Valley = National City 
> 
> Manford = Metropolis

“Alex! Alex!” Kara called. She was running down a long winding staircase towards the large foyer in her cousin's manor. Alex could usually be found right outside on the field, she was normally tending to or riding the horses. “Alex what did you do with my-” Kara was cut off as she ran into someone standing in the doorway. “Oh sorry I didn’t mean to-” Kara started as she took a step back and looked at who was in front of her.

“Kal!” Kara squealed as she wrapped him in a hug. “Oh, it’s been so long. How have you been? How is the estate?” she said as she pulled away from his embrace to stand in front of him. 

“It’s all fine Kara. But I’m not here for pleasantries. We have something important to discuss” 

“Oh.” Kara cleared her throat. “Of course, where should we go?” 

“My office,” Kal said. 

The cousins walked in silence towards Kal’s office. The manor was massive; there was a central staircase that led to the foyer, and on either side of the staircase there were hallways. Down the right hallway there was the dining room, the kitchens, and a staircase that only led down to the pantry. The left hallway was far less interesting. There stood the living room, and her cousin’s office.

Kal quickly pulled a key from his coat pocket and unlocked the doors before pulling them open and ushering Kara into his office. There was a large oak desk in the center and a bookshelf to the right of the desk. Kal helped Kara into a chair in front of his desk before moving to his seat and settling himself in.

Kal cleared his throat. “I’m going to get straight to it. I need you to step up now. I need you to start making appearances, and begin developing your own estate. Let people know that we are related.”

“B-b-but” Kara stammered. “We said we would wait until I was 25?! Why the sudden rush Kal? I’m not ready.” Kara said firmly. 

“It’s the Luthors.” Kal said.

“Oh. What have they done now?” Kara sighed. 

***

Lena paced in the hallway of her new manor. With her father and brother arrested and her mother missing, she was all that was left of the Luthor estate. Lena was the only person that could rebuild her family's once formidable credibility, power, and influence. 

Kal had grown up in Norwich Valley. His family was wealthy and they had power and influence there. Then his family was killed in a tragic fire and he was the lone survivor. After the fire Kal moved to Manford, quickly gained the love of the public, and grew his estate and his wealth. He was a direct threat to the power of the Luthors. 

So Lex did what Lex does best. He pretended to be Kal’s friend, convinced Kal to partner with him, and sabotaged The House of El from the inside. He hadn’t meant to ruin Kal, just hurt him enough to turn him from the most powerful man in Manford, to the second most powerful. Lionel supported Lex throughout the whole process, helping him produce business plans that would damage Kal. But her family had underestimated Kal. While most people would assume a dip in their sales would be caused by outside forces, Kal looked inward. He noticed a trend: the longer Lex worked with him the worse his sales got. He contacted the authorities with his evidence and Lex and Lionel were arrested. In attempting to down the most powerful man, they corrupted everything they had and left Lena to pick up all the pieces. 

Lena stopped pacing. She had come to the conclusion that Kal was the key to reclaiming her family’s credibility. If she could prove to him that she was different, that she was there to do good, that she was trustworthy, then maybe his faith would push other people to believe. But, a simple statement of trust from Kal could seem bought or pulled from a threat. She would still seem unreliable. Lena needed more. She needed a unification of their estates. She needed marriage. 

Lena hated the idea of marriage. The thought of giving her property to a man and then being forced to spend the rest of her life with him, provide children for him (that he would then own), and basically do anything he wanted. It was downright disgusting. Lena had always relished the fact that she had a choice to get married or not. Wealth had provided her with that comfort. But of course, men had to go and ruin it for her. And while she hated marriage, she knew it was the only thing left to do to save her family’s image and her legacy. 

***

“So she’s running the Luthor manor now?” Kara asked. 

“Yes. This is why you need to start today.” Kal replied. 

“But why? Is it really so bad if I wait three years?” Kara asked. 

“She’s moved here, Kara. You can’t _both_ run the most powerful estate in Norwich Valley. How will it look if I’ve abandoned my hometown just for it to be taken over by the Luthors? It’s not just your image I’m worried about Kara. It’s our family’s. We can’t let the Luthors damage our name.” 

“I understand.” Kara replied. There was a moment of silence as Kara fully absorbed the weight of what was happening. “What’s my first step?” she asked. 

“The Luthor ball.” Kal replied. 


	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara prepares for and arrives at the Luthor Ball.

Kara groaned as she sat up in bed. Today was the day of the dreaded Luthor ball. 

Growing up she saw how Kal helped people. He was a good and generous boss, he gave his livelihood to the people and they loved him for it. She knew helping people was something she wanted to do, but after the death of her family, she thought it was best to just keep her head down and fit in. She wasn’t ready to be a public figure. She was young when her world ended. Her family had been visiting Kal’s when the fire started, and they were the only two that escaped. But Kara had been separated from Kal. She spent years in darkness struggling to live until Kal found her and brought her to his manor in Norwich Valley to be raised by the Danvers. He left her while he continued growing his estate in Manford. The Danvers had a daughter Alex, who was like a sister to her and helped her fit in. She did have plans to build an estate and help people but the life of the wealthy was an act, she needed more time to just be Kara. The time she had spent alone had pushed her family to give her more time before fully integrating back into high society. The last real years of her life were being ripped away all because of Lena Luthor.

Kara refused to judge people based on their family. She was a firm believer that everyone should be judged based on their own actions. So she didn’t hate Lena because of her family, she hated Lena because of what she was making Kara do, what she was making Kara lose. She despised how one woman could uproot her life so much. 

Kara spent the morning preparing for the ball. It was a tiring process and while most enjoyed preparing for their first ball, Kara loathed it. 

She  _ hated _ dresses. The corsets, the hoops, it was all there to make her look more appealing to men. They symbolized the loss of freedom. She preferred to run around in trousers and tackle Alex in the grass. She spent most of her life learning since she needed to secure her family’s wealth either through marriage or handling the money on her own. Marriage was difficult. She wasn't opposed to marriage, it just wasn’t ideal, and she struggled to find anyone interested. Her education wasn’t attractive, but her wealth was. She had dated before, she had been in love before (or so she thought, the man ended up running away) but nothing ever stuck. She knew she wanted to help people so she decided building an estate would be the best way to handle her money and do good. So she trained in the proper etiquette for the wealthy. But despite all her rigorous training, she felt completely unprepared for the Luthor ball.

By the time she was ready, the sun was beginning to set. Kal had left a good half hour early so he could make an entrance. There were going to be many people there he needed to impress. Kara was to show up soon behind him. She was ushered into a carriage and made her way to the Luthor Manor.

The carriage ride cemented her distaste for the Luthor heiress. She blamed everything on Lena. Cold? If it weren’t for Lena she wouldn’t be out of the manor away from the hearth. Hungry? If it weren’t for Lena she wouldn’t have spent all day getting ready. Nervous? It was Lena’s ball. Everything was Lena’s fault. 

Kara’s carriage pulled up to the Luthor manor.  _ I hate Lena Luthor. _ Kara walked to the entrance of the Luthor manor.  _ I hate Lena Luthor. _

“Right this way miss” she heard as someone led her into the dancing room. 

The room was large. There were about 120 people in the center dancing and there was still space with tables and chairs for those sitting and talking. 

Kara quickly became overwhelmed with the number of people in the room. They were all dancing or talking. She could hear 40 different conversations from where she was standing. There was music in the background. Kara spent most of her life hidden in the manor and was already starting to feel claustrophobic. She needed to escape.

The Luthor Manor was laid out similarly to Kal’s, though it was larger and had a few more halls. It should have been easy to follow, but she felt like she was walking around in a labyrinth. Kara walked down a hallway and passed a group of giggling girls. 

“Oh but have you  _ smelled _ him?” 

“He smells perfect” 

“You should ask him to dance with you.” 

“Me?! I couldn’t” 

Kara groaned. She’d never understood people's infatuation with her cousin. Sure, Kal was the wealthiest, most powerful man in the area, but love was about more than that. It was supposed to be about finding the perfect person, the other piece to your puzzle. Kara shook her head, thinking about love often made her feel worse and she couldn’t afford to feel worse tonight. Kara needed to find Kal. Despite her promise to him, she needed to leave. Tonight just wasn’t going to work. 

Kara turned to a hallway on her right. She could hear voices getting closer. 

“It’s crazy, despite all the shit her family did, Luthor is more sought after than ever.” 

“It’s not that crazy, imagine the man that gets a hold of her estate. And have you  _ seen _ her?” 

Kara stopped dead in her tracks. Kal was right. Despite how disgusting the words they were saying were, she felt a twinge of jealousy.  _ That should be  _ me _ they’re talking about.  _ , These men were talking about Lena for the same reason those girls had been talking about Kal. They recognized Lena’s power. But they didn’t even know Kara existed. Lena gaining the Luthor Estate had threatened Kara’s image, Kal’s image, far more than she realized. 

Kara picked up the pace as she headed toward the voices. If she followed them she was bound to find the dance floor again. She had spent too long lost and confused on the first floor of the Luthor Manor. She wasn’t ready to get into the thick of the ball, but if she could just find Kal and have him introduce her to some people maybe she could start getting the hang of her new life. 

Kara turned left into the hallway and slammed into a body.

Embarrassed, Kara stepped back and looked at the ground. 

“Oh gosh. I’m so sorry. I had stepped into the hall to get some air and now I’m looking for my cousin. I didn’t mean to run into you. Again I’m so-” 

Kara looked up from the ground and right into the woman's eyes in front of her. The deep green was mesmerizing. Kara's breath caught. 

“Hi...” Kara said. 


	3. The Luthor Ball Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena navigate the Luthor ball together.

Lena wasn’t sure what she was expecting, her name branded her now. She could hear mumbles of contempt everywhere she went. She felt claustrophobic in her own home. Air. She needed air. Lena started to make her way from the ballroom, exiting down the main hall, when suddenly a firm body slammed into her. 

She barely had enough time to register what had happened when the blond in front of her was rambling out an apology. Something about finding her cousin? The blond suddenly looked up from the ground and stopped talking. Piercing blue eyes met Lena’s. She felt a shiver run down her spine. _Great, she's realized who I am and doesn’t want to talk to me anymore_. 

Seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity before the woman in front of her spoke. 

“Hi… I’m. Um. I’m Kara.” The blond stuttered out. 

Lena raised her eyebrow. No formal greeting, no mention of her own last name, no mention of Lena’s last name, who was this girl? Lena didn’t care, this girl knew nothing about her and that was enough to keep the conversation going. 

“Lena.” She said as she extended a hand for a handshake. 

“Nice to meet you, Lena. You have a lovely name.” 

“As do you, Kara. You said you were looking for your cousin? I can help you find him.” 

“You would do that? Thank you so much. He’s slightly taller than average, black hair, and probably talking to someone important.” Kara said with a smile 

“To the dance floor?” Lena asked as she held out a hand. 

“To the dance floor.” Kara grinned 

The dance floor was somehow even more crowded than before. It was a jumble of bodies moving in a constant blur. 

“I can’t see what anyone looks like,” Kara said 

“Me either.” 

Suddenly Lena was pulled into the dance. Kara had grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into the center of the ballroom. 

“Kara” Lena hissed. 

“What are you doing? This isn't. We can't.” Lena struggled to say the words. It just wasn’t _right_ for Kara to take her hand on the dance floor. Sure the women danced together but mostly when the song and the movements pushed them to. You were _always_ asked by a man before stepping on the dance floor, Lena had been taught this years ago. 

“Shh. It’s alright, it’s so crowded no one will notice. I needed you to be close to me while we searched.”

“You better be right. I wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong impression” 

Kara inhaled a little but didn’t speak. The pair danced in silence for a while as they scanned the crowds, searching for the description Kara gave. Lena needed more, the description was too vague it could be anyone. 

“Kara, could you tell me more? Who is your cousin?” 

Lena watched as Kara thought before finally opening her mouth to speak.

“My cousin is-” 

Suddenly the music changed tempo. Kara’s hands slipped from around her waist and Kara was lost to a new partner. They would cycle back and forth, she knew Kara would be coming back to her but she oddly found herself missing the feel of Kara’s hands. Her soft hands hit rough calluses as she slipped into position with her new partner

. 

“Kal El” Lena said as she noticed the man in front of her. 

“Lena Luthor,” Kal said coldly 

“I wasn’t sure you would come,” Lena said. Her mind was now filled with images of her brother and father being dragged away to prison.

“There are important people here, just because a family full of liars hosts does not mean I won’t attend Lena.” 

The words hit Lena harder than expected. She’d heard the mumbles all night, but being called a liar to her face cut right to the bone. She felt as tears began to prick her eyes. She couldn't be seen showing this much vulnerability. _Luthor's don’t cry. Luthor's don’t cry. Luthor's don’t cry._

The music changed again and Lena felt herself glide back into Kara’s arms, her tears still burning the back of her eyelids. 

“Lena. Lena are you alright?” Kara asked.

“I’m. I’m fine” Lena said as she cleared her throat. 

“Are you sure because-”

“I said I’m fine” Lena snapped 

There was a moment of silence until Lena spoke up. 

“Why are you even dancing with me?” Lena asked softly 

“Well to be honest, this is my first big ball like this. My cousin pushed me to come here. It was so big and crowded, I was so stressed. I moved to get some air, finally got it together enough to come back here, but was still so scared. I ran into you and you offered help, you’re really my only friend here.” Kara rambled 

The music changed tempo again. Kara was harder to leave this time. 

“Thank you,” Lena said to Kara as she moved away from her and into Kal’s hands 

“Mister El. I should have you know that the crimes of my father and brother are in no way connected to me. I am just a woman trying to make a name for herself outside of her family. You can understand that?”

“I’m afraid not Miss Luthor. My name has always been something I’m proud of. Doesn’t it make you ashamed you have to hide your name? Doesn’t it make you a liar to distance yourself from that name, making you the one thing you claim not to be?” 

Lena practically ran back into Kara’s arms as the music moved. Each word Kal said to her made Kara’s arms feel like safety despite not knowing each other for very long. 

“Oh Lena, who else are you dancing with? Are they hurting you?” 

Lena pondered for a moment. She wanted nothing more than to expose Kal for being rude, but she, unfortunately, needed his hand in marriage and could do nothing to further damage their relationship. 

“This man, he’s calling me a liar and insulting my name,” Lena said. 

“Who is he? I’ll beat him up for you.” 

Lena laughed, not realizing Kara was being serious. Kara had been taught self-defense from a young age and knew how to handle herself if Lena needed someone to be beaten up Kara wouldn’t hesitate.

“I’m being serious,” Kara said 

“It’s alright. No need to beat anyone up.” Lena laughed 

The music slowed to a stop and the crowd began to disperse itself, moving from the center of the dance floor to the tables and chairs to mingle. 

“I know we didn’t find your cousin but I really had a wonderful time,” Lena said with a light blush. 

“Lena I-” Kara was interrupted. 

“Kara! Miss Luthor.” Kal said as he approached them. 

Kara gasped. 

“How could I be so stupid.” Kara cursed quietly to herself. 

“Miss Luthor, my name is Kara Zor-El. I'm Kal’s cousin” Kara said as she extended a hand, seemingly meeting Lena for the first time. 

Kara watched as Lena’s eyes flashed with hurt and hatred. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. The Luthor Ball Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's reaction to learning Lena is a Luthor, and the ending of the Luthor Ball.

Lena hated herself for letting herself open up to a stranger. Of course, it was going to blow up in her face. She shouldn’t have expected anything different. 

“Nice to meet you Miss Zor-El. I assume you’ve heard enough about me from your cousin. I’ll get out of your hair.” Lena said coldly. 

Lena turned and left the cousins, silently cursing to herself as she walked away. Not only had she had an argument with Kal, pushing her farther from her goal, but she also lied to his cousin. She was screwed. 

***

Kara should’ve realized it sooner. Who else would be named Lena? She let herself lose sight of her goals for what? A budding friendship? Someone she only knew for a few hours? Only for the person to end up lying to her, and being the person she despised the most.

Kal was right the Luthor name was only correlated with disgrace. It didn’t matter that Lena had made her smile bigger than she had in years. It didn’t matter that her stomach did little flips when they danced. It didn’t matter that she could stare into Lena’s eyes forever. None of it mattered because Lena was a fraud. 

Kal led Kara through the ball slowly introducing her to the big names of Norwich Valley. 

“Hello, Mr. Edge, nice to meet you. I hear you’re the biggest person in real estate around here?” Kara said as she extended a hand. 

Morgan Edge just looked at her in disgust. 

“Who are you? Kal’s latest girl? Looking for money?” 

Kara gagged. It still surprised her how many people assumed she was  _ with  _ Kal not just with Kal. It was gross. 

“No. Ra- God no. I’m his cousin. Kara Zor-El.” 

“Oh. I didn’t know he had a cousin. I thought everyone-“ 

“I made it out. I’ve been kept quiet. But I’m here now” Kara quickly blurted out. 

Edge looked at her and raised an eyebrow before starting again.

“At least you’re not a Luthor. That girl is just like her family. What a cold-hearted bitch.” Edge said, mostly to himself. 

Kara couldn’t agree more. 

Kal moved her to the next person and the next person. Each person seemed to have the same train of thought, and every person ended with a hateful remark against Lena.

“She has no heart.” 

“Luthor only does things for her own gain.” 

“She doesn’t care about anyone but herself.” 

Every time someone said something hateful about Lena, Kara would add it to her mental list of “things Lena Luthor is”. The list started with “a liar”, and ended with “beautiful”. As Kara continued meeting with people, she continued to contradict herself. 

“She has no heart.” 

_ Then why did she almost cry?  _

“Luthor only does things for her own gain.” 

_ Lena didn’t know who I was, but she was still nice to me. There was nothing to get out of being nice to me.  _

“She doesn’t care about anyone but herself” 

_ This...this is a lie. Lena cared about helping me. Lena cared about me.  _

Despite how badly she wanted to hate Lena, she could no longer bring herself to. Kara found herself actively looking for Lena in the crowds. Half of her attention was always put on finding Lena. 

***

After her “incident” with Kara, Lena decided to continue talking to people. Tonight was supposed to be about distancing herself from the Luthro name not making the rumors true. No matter how many people she talked to, the whispers surrounding her never ceased. She missed Kara. She missed the  _ old _ Kara. The one that didn’t know who she was. 

Lena noticed she was always looking over her shoulder, checking to see if Kara was around. But Kara was nowhere to be found, it was almost like Kara was avoiding her. Hours passed. The constant talking to rich, white, men was getting exhausting. 

The first of the guests started to leave right before dawn. Lena had tried to keep track of all the guests that were leaving but there were too many. It wasn’t until after the sun had risen that all the guests had left. 

She hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to Kara. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this week! Next weeks should be longer. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed.


	5. Trying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara reaches out to Lena and tries to recover their budding friendship.

Kara’s head was spinning as it hit the pillow. The ball had left her exhausted both physically and mentally. She should’ve just been able to fall asleep but thoughts of Lena were racing in her mind. Kara sat up in her bed and pulled the sheets to the side before stepping out onto the cold hardwood floor. She moved over to her desk, lit a small candle, pulled out some paper and ink, and started writing.

_~~Dear Miss. Luthor~~_

_~~Dear Lena Luthor~~_

_~~Dear Lena~~_

_~~My Dear Lena~~_

_~~My Friend Lena~~_

_~~Miss Luthor~~ _

_Lena,_

_Unfortunately, I was unable to speak with you before I left. I wanted to send you my deepest apologies. The actions of your family are not a reflection of who you are. My cousin seems to have not forgiven you for your family’s rimes, I have heard the stories and I understand why he is so infuriated. I, however, do not believe you are like them. I greatly enjoyed dancing with you and would greatly appreciate having my friend back. Would you please consider meeting with me for lunch?_ _Just send me a time and date and I’ll be there._

_Your friend,_

_Kara_

Kara read over the note, then read over it again, and again, and again. Then took the paper and crumpled it in a ball before tossing it in the trash can. Kara blew out the candle and got back into bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

***

Lena rubbed her eyes, the ink on her hands rubbing off onto her face. She needed to finish writing thank you notes to the guests before heading to sleep. It was nearly 4 in the afternoon and after spending all night dancing, and all-day writing, she was exhausted. Her pen hovered over the paper. She had saved the most difficult note for last. 

_~~My Kara~~_

_~~Dear Miss Zor-El~~_

_Kara,_

_Thank you so much for attending my ball. You truly lit up the night, and it would not have been the same without you. I feel that-_

Lena’s elbow hit the candle, it tipped over and hit the table. Kara’s letter burst into flames. Lena quickly grabbed the handle by the base and pulled it back to an upright position before quickly patting the burning paper in an attempt to stop the flames. 

Lena sighed and the hot ashes turned bright orange as they stirred into the air. Lena looked at the clock. 4:45 P.M. It was late, and she needed sleep. If she was going to write a decent letter to Kara, it would have to wait until morning. 

***

Kara paced in front of the Luthor Manor. After tossing and turning all night, Kara decided talking with Lena would be the best way to really show how sorry she was and push for lunch. 

Kara knocked on the door, and the butler opened the door. 

“Ms. Zor-El! Ms. Luthor was not expecting you. Did you leave something at the Manor?” 

“No. No. I- Uhm. I need to talk with her. Is she here?” 

“Yes of course. I can bring you to her.” 

The butler led Kara through the Manor, they stopped in front of a door and he knocked. 

“Come in,” Lena said through the door. 

The butler opened the door and Lena was sitting scribbling on paper. She was deep in thought.

“Ms. Luthor, Ms. Zor-El is here to see you.” 

Lena looked up and Kara and then down at her paper and then up at Kara again. Lena cleared her throat.

“I was not expecting you Ms. Zor-El. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Lena said as she stood up from her desk. 

“I- I- I was hoping we could talk. About the ball. I don’t think we ended the night right.” Kara said hesitantly. 

Lena looked taken aback. Most people didn’t reach out to her, most people didn’t try again. 

“Yes, of course, we can talk. Hector, please set up the living room with some tea.” 

“Yes, miss,” Hector said as he quickly left the room.

Kara and Lena started walking towards the living room.

“I’m sorry.” Kara blurted out. 

“I’m so sorry. I was rude yesterday and I shouldn't have treated you like your family. You were so nice to me and I just ruined it all.” 

Lena stopped dead in her tracks. 

“No one’s ever said that before,” Lena said quietly. 

“Hmm.” Kara turned around so she was facing Lena. 

“No one has ever reached out and treated me differently than my family. Thank you.” Lena said with a smile 

Kara just smiled and the pair continued to walk to the living room. They sat down and Kara immediately began eating the small sandwiches that were set on the table. 

“I was adopted you know,” Lena said.

“Really?”

“Yes. My biological mother died when I was four and Lionel took me in.” 

“I’m adopted too,” Kara replied. 

“I assume you know Kal’s story: fled the burning house, then built his wealth from just his name. Well, mine’s different. My parents sent me after Kal but I got separated. After the fire I got lost in the woods behind the house, I couldn’t find Kal. I spent time on the streets until Kal saw me and brought me to his new estate. He sent me to live with the Danvers. They look over his estate since he’s rarely here anymore. I may be Kal’s blood, but the Danvers are my family. They raised me and their daughter, Alex, is like a sister to me.”

Lena's hand reached out and grabbed Kara’s. Kara looked up and let out a watery chuckle. 

“Haha. What a first second-impression.” 

“Maybe we’re more alike than I previously thought,” Lena said with a smile. 

“Will you join me for lunch later? I’ll send you a letter?” Kara asked.

“Sounds perfect.” 

“I better get going. Kal is probably wondering where I am.” 

Kara stood up and Lena led her to the front door. 

\--

The carriage ride back to the El Manor was long. It was nearing dark when she arrived back home. Kal was waiting for her in the dining room when she arrived. 

“Where were you, Kara?” Kal asked.

Kara hesitated. Kal would probably disapprove of her meeting with Lena, especially since she was the competition. He would tell her to cut off everything with Lena, and then lecture her of the perils of befriending a Luthor. 

“I was..out. Shopping. Didn’t find anything.” Kara lied. 

“Alright. Well, come to my office after you eat. We’re taking Lena Luthor down.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed :D


	6. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kal and Kara have a much-needed discussion about Lena.

“Kara! You’re barely eating. Are you alright?” Lena asked 

Kara stopped poking her food with her fork and looked up from her plate. 

“Me? Oh- yeah. Yeah, I’m fineee. Totally and completely  _ fine _ .” Kara rambled 

“Alright, it’s just last time you were here you ate all the sandwiches and we only met briefly so I just wanted to make sure,” Lena said with a slight smile 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. So..um. I’m glad we’re doing this.” Kara said, extending her hand out onto the table. 

“Me too,” Lena replied as she placed her hand over Kara’s 

“It’s nice to finally have a friend, and I’m glad we’re working to rebuild the damages my family has caused...Speaking of our families, Kara how is Kal doing?” Lena asked 

“Oh. He’s alright. Just Kal being Kal. Business is good, everything’s good.” Kara said, seemingly reassuring herself more than Lena 

Lena started to respond when she was interrupted. 

“Miss Luthor. You have a meeting in 15 minutes.” Lena’s butler said. 

Lena nodded her head and the butler left. 

“Thank you, Kara, but I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes. Sorry to cut lunch short but we have to finish up here.” 

“I understand! Thank you for having me, Lena. I’ll make sure to send a note before I drop by again.” Kara said as she stood up and wrapped Lena in a hug. 

Kara left the dining room and was led to her carriage by the butler. It was a long silent ride back to Kal’s manor. When she arrived Kal was standing in the living room pouring over maps. 

“Kara!” He called as she entered the room 

“Yes, Kal?”

“Kara where were you?” 

“Out,” Kara said 

“Where. Were. You.” Kall pressed on 

“I don’t have to tell you where I’m going Kal, I’m my own woman I don’t need to tell you everything...but since you asked so ‘nicely’ I was just around town.” 

“You see,” Kal started 

“I don’t believe you. I asked Alfred what he had made you for lunch so I could have some of the same, only you didn’t have lunch cooked by Alfred. He informed me that you said you were eating in town. Now, this I would believe, but John’s has been closed for maintenance since Wednesday. So, Kara, I ask again. Where were you?” 

Kara swallowed thickly before looking up from the ground and right into Kal’s eyes. 

“I was having lunch with Lena Luthor. My friend, Lena Luthor.” Kara said and Kal gasped. 

“You..you. What? Kara that family is a family of lying, cheating, monsters. You know what they did to me. How- how could you?” Kal said his voice just below a scream. 

“Lena is a good person Kal! She just wants to make a name for herself outside of her family's shadow. That’s something you could never understand Kal, wanting to be something other than your name. You have forged this path for me and I can’t escape it, I can make it my own but I’ll always live under your shadow Kal. She can’t escape her name, but she can make it her own and make it a force for good. I understand what I have to do, what I have to take from her, but Kal she’s not a bad person.” Kara practically yelled before walking off in the direction of her room.

“I- Kara,” Kal yelled after her.

\--

Kara walked right past her room and plopped down in the bed in the room to the right of hers. Her face smashed into the pillow and she let out a muffled scream before groaning and turning to the side.

“Alex! Alexxxx,” Kara yelled. 

Alex came from down the hall and jumped onto the bed landing next to Kara. 

“What happened now?” Alex asked

“Lena and Kal. They’re both so obsessed with their image it’s draining. Kal is so obsessed with being perfect. Lena _ is  _ perfect, and her hair smells nice, and she’s pretty and she tries so so hard for people to see her outside of her family and no one does.” Kara huffed out 

“Is that all…?” Alex asked 

“No.” Kara groaned 

“The whole purpose of me going to the ball was so that I could start to claim my name’ or whatever but that’s just leading up to me taking away the one thing Lena has left. Lena is my friend, my best friend, I’m not sure I can rip away her power. And Kal hates Lena on top of it all.” Kara said as she smashed her face into the pillow again.

“Hey,” Alex moved and wrapped Kara in a side hug. 

“You don’t know what’s going to happen with your own estate for all you know you and Lena could both be at the top and it could be okay. Have hope Kara, that’s like your thing. And Kal will come around to Lena, just talk to him again. Okay? Everything will be fine.” Alex said 

“Okay,” Kara replied with a light sniffle 

“See? Easy. What we should really be talking about is the part where you said Lena was ‘ perfect and her hair smells nice,’ What was that about?” Alex said as she nudged Kara

“Nothing! I was just telling the truth, and she’s my best friend. It's fine.” 

“Okay…” Alex said sarcastically

\--

When Kara walked out of Alex’s room Kal was standing, still hunched over the mound of papers in the living room. 

“So.” Kara cleared her throat 

“What are all these maps here?” She asked

“They’re areas where you could buy land to build your estate.”

“Oh,” 

“For later, of course, I was just looking at them now for some ideas. Anyways, I’m going out to see Lena. I thought about what you said and you’re right and I think I owe her an apology. I owe you an apology too Kara. I’m sorry for how I treated you, It wasn’t fair. It’s difficult to find friends out here, so I’m glad you have each other. Just be careful with her okay Kara?”

“I will Kal. I promise.” Kara said 

***

Lena’s mind was  _ not  _ in the right place. Thoughts of a certain blond doing unspeakable things to her were rampaging her mind. Her butler called her name and she snapped out of it. 

_ Oh no, Oh no. I cannot be thinking these things about my one and only friend here. Especially when it’s her cousin I need to be making progress on. Boxes Lena. Boxes. The only thing that matters is fixing my family’s name and uniting with Kal.  _

Lena took a deep breath and steadied herself. 

“Miss Luthor. Mr. El is here to see you now.” 

_ Shit.  _

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so sorry for no chapter last Friday. I was swamped with school work and work. I really hope you enjoyed this week's chapter! Thank you for reading!


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